South Africa

2012

Johannesburg, July 30, 2012--South African authorities should immediately drop a
criminal investigation against three newspaper journalists who have sought to
report details on a multi-billion-dollar arms scandal, the Committee to Protect
Journalists said today.

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New York, May 30, 2012--The Committee to
Protect Journalists condemns the campaign of harassment and intimidation
against a newspaper in South Africa after it published a photo of a painting of
President Jacob Zuma more than two weeks ago.

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On April 16, 2012, the Zimbabwe Republic Police in the
southern border town of Beitbridge arrested Robin Hammond, a freelance
photojournalist with dual U.K. and New Zealand citizenship, as he reported on
migration between Zimbabwe and neighboring South Africa, government-controlled
state daily The Heraldreported.

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Many African leaders continue to offer a false choice between stability and press freedom. Taking a cue from China, a key investor and model, they stress social stability and development over openness and reform. By Mohamed Keita

The ruling African National Congress bridled at news media scrutiny of its record on poverty, crime, and corruption, which raised concerns about the durability of post-apartheid democratic reforms. In June, the government announced a new policy to use state advertising expenditures to reward supportive media outlets. Members of the ANC's youth wing tried to intimidate media outlets that examined the affluent lifestyle and private business dealings of its fiery formerleader, Julius Malema. Youth members assaulted journalists covering Malema's appearance at a party hearing convened to discuss his hard-line statements. President Jacob Zuma, who traveled to Libya twice in support of Muammar Qaddafi,was criticized for failing to hold Libyan officials accountable in the case of Anton Hammerl. Loyalist forces killed the South African photojournalist in April, but Libyan officials withheld information about Hammerl's death for many weeks. In October, South African officials acknowledged that police had tapped the phone conversations of journalists Mwazili Wa Afrika and Stephan Hofstatter. The two faced persistent threats and intimidation related to a 2010 story on police corruption. The ANC pushed several restrictive legislative measures, including a bill that would allow officials to classify virtually any piece of government information in the name of "national interest." The National Assembly approved the bill in November, sending it to the National Council of Provinces for consideration in late year.